Lainie Hartley

Lainie Hartley 👋I’m Lainie! My memoir, Simply Neglect, is available on Amazon and Audible: https://a.co/d/2oelV1h My story began in foster care, but it didn’t end there.

A former foster youth, child of kinship care, bio, foster, and adoptive mom, turning my lived experience into change that heals families & reforms systems. I’m living proof that God can redeem what was broken. Through writing, speaking, and advocacy, I use my lived experience to bring understanding, healing, and reform to those impacted by foster care — and to help change the systems meant to prot

ect them. Through empathy, education, and storytelling, I’m leading a movement for redemption, restoration, and real reform.

👧🏻 Little Me: Are we going to be okay?👩🏻 Current Me: Not for a while.👧🏻 Little Me: What do you mean?👩🏻 Current Me: There...
06/19/2026

👧🏻 Little Me: Are we going to be okay?

👩🏻 Current Me: Not for a while.

👧🏻 Little Me: What do you mean?

👩🏻 Current Me: There will be years where we become really good at surviving but forget how to simply live.

👧🏻 Little Me: Does anyone save us?

👩🏻 Current Me: No.

👵🏻 Older Me: Something even more beautiful happens… we discover a Saviour, who gives us the strength to keep going.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do we ever stop feeling different from everyone else?

👩🏻 Current Me: We stop seeing it as brokenness and start seeing it as uniqueness.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do we ever get our childhood back?

👩🏻 Current Me: No, my love.

👵🏻 Older Me: But we create the kind of childhood for our children that we once needed ourselves.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do people ever choose us?

👩🏻 Current Me: Yes.

👧🏻 Little Me: Do we believe them?

👩🏻 Current Me: Eventually.

👧🏻 Little Me: What happens to all the lonely parts of us?

👩🏻 Current Me: They don’t disappear.

👵🏻 Older Me: They become the very reason other people feel safe with us.

👧🏻 Little Me: So all the pain wasn’t wasted?

👩🏻 Current Me: Not one piece of it.

👵🏻 Older Me: Every tear, every fear, every empty place will be used to help us and others grow.

👧🏻 Little Me: What do we become?

👩🏻 Current Me: Someone who stops asking, “Why did this happen to me?” and starts asking, “What is this preparing me for?”

👧🏻 Little Me: So… we make it?

👩🏻 Current Me: We do more than make it.

👵🏻 Older Me: We build a life that little you never even had permission to dream about. 🩷

Wouldn’t it be so beautiful to sit down with versions of ourselves throughout our lives? What would you say to your younger self? What do you think the older version of you would tell the current you?

(Inspired by ).

06/07/2026

Our boy is SEVEN today!! 🎉
I’ll never forget this. 🤣

06/07/2026

Our sweet boy is SEVEN today!!
We watch this video every single year.🥳😂
Joy. Love. Light.
We love you, Oakie.
Happy Birthday!!!

I posted this earlier this week, and then took it down. I shared a super vulnerable caption but after reflecting, I real...
05/22/2026

I posted this earlier this week, and then took it down.
I shared a super vulnerable caption but after reflecting,
I realized I wanted to keep my feelings and words for myself, my siblings, and my therapist.

I will say this: Forgiveness doesn’t mean access, and it doesn’t justify what’s happened. We can make room if we choose, but boundaries are for our protection…some people build walls, and others build gates. You get to decide who and how and if they enter. ❤️

Someone actions left an imprint on your nervous system. Some have left scars, and that feels unfair. There’s GRIEF associated with that, and it’s valid. ❤️

True forgiveness should release us from anger, rage, bitterness and resentment. We don’t need to hold onto those feelings…forgiveness is for us.

I feel these words with every part of my being.
So, I’ll leave this here for thought and reflection.

Xoxo

Who’s the hardest person you’ve had to forgive?
What’s the hardest part about forgiveness?
How did you feel after you forgave?
What does forgiveness mean to you?

Let’s talk about it. ❤️

Day 20 of 31In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.Today’s ...
05/21/2026

Day 20 of 31

In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.

Today’s feature: Theresa Cameron
Book: Foster Care Odyssey: A Black Girl’s Story

Foster care should be understood through the voices of those who lived it.

If you’re able, consider supporting these authors (and their causes!) by ordering a copy of their book or leaving a review. ❤️





Day 19 of 31In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.Today’s ...
05/21/2026

Day 19 of 31

In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.

Today’s feature: Shenandoah Chefalo
Book: Garbage Bag Suitcase

Foster care should be understood through the voices of those who lived it.

If you’re able, consider supporting these authors (and their causes!) by ordering a copy of their book or leaving a review. ❤️





Day 18 of 31In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.Today’s ...
05/21/2026

Day 18 of 31

In honour of National Foster Care Awareness Month, I’m sharing books written by former foster youth.

Today’s feature: Lisa Aguirre
Book: The Faces of Foster Care

Foster care should be understood through the voices of those who lived it.

If you’re able, consider supporting these authors (and their causes!) by ordering a copy of their book or leaving a review. ❤️





Address

London, ON

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Lainie Hartley posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category